U.S. Will Start the Cyberattack on ISIS

BEACON TRANSCRIPT – A new line of combat has been set up by the United States against the dreaded ISIS, in the form of computer-network attacks. This is one of the first time President Obama’s wish of directing the secret cyberweapons of the U.S. at ISIS is finally being implemented.

Such weapons have been previously aimed in other directions, such as Iran, but might now come in handy in defeating the boogeyman of the decade. While it is a subtler way of battle, it might finally prove effective against the modern communications used by the terrorist group for carrying out its operations and recruiting more members.

The N.S.A. (National Security Agency), specialized in electronic surveillance, has long kept the militants under observation. However, the Cyber Command, which is the military counterpart of the N.S.A., has been focusing until now on other regions, including Iran, Russia, China and North Korea, because most cyberattacks on the U.S. come from these countries. This is about to change soon.

The goal of the new campaign of launching a cyberattack on ISIS is to impede the Islamic State from spreading its ill messages, communicating with its commanders, carrying out daily tasks and recruiting new members. But why has this information been released to the public?

It appears the purpose of the Cyber Command is also to rattle the commanders of ISIS so that they are aware their private data might be manipulated, but also worry about prying eyes. However, the fact that the administration is talking about the new weapons represents a drastic change. Only four years ago, it did not even concede to admit the development of offensive cyberweapons or its role in computer networks or any attacks.

While cyberattacks inside a nation pose serious questions about the invasion of sovereignty, this is not the case for ISIS. According to Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr.,

“We’re trying to both physically and virtually isolate ISIL, limit their ability to conduct command and control, limit their ability to communicate with each other, limit their ability to conduct operations locally and tactically.”

The fact that such a terrorist organization has been able to efficiently use our beloved Internet and social media to carry out vicious attacks has sparked many controversies about the privacy of the data circulating online and the access of authorities to it. However, instead of weakening our protection, the best way must be to carry out our own cyberattacks.